The Official Lynne Scott AuthorSite

Official website for Lynne Scott

You are here: Home / Blog

Blog

I Have a Freaking Idea!

By

Yes, it has happened – the two lone particles in my brain have collided and an idea has formed.

Hot Deputies Boffing in Utah

Yup! That’s the story for NaNo 2013. I have no title yet, so this is what I’ve been calling it since the idea first started forming several years ago. It’s not a pretty working title, but at some point we all know that this is what will be happening when the lead characters get together. How did I get here? Well… it’s a little convoluted.

When I was writing Blood Link back in 2009/10, I called to talk to my friend Darryl (Del) LeBouef. The original question was about terrain models, and this turned into a discussion about continuity of training in the military and the Rangers in particular. Somehow, we wound up talking about the desert phase of his Ranger training at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah. Dugway is where our country tested all of our chemical and biological warfare stuff. It’s also picked up the nickname of Area 52 since NASA crashed a damaged satellite there a few years ago. As usually happens with Del and I, the stories began. (Have I mentioned that I love to hear men tell stories?) Anyway, Del is a master storyteller and this one had just the right amount of cool and freaky. The vivid picture he painted with his words has stuck with me and was what sent me researching and digging. Dugway was and is the ideal setting for some kind of bad crap to happen. But what?

Then in 2011, my friend Arwen and I were zipping up the highway heading for Salt Lake City to do some genealogy research, and she had slowed to pass through a piddly little town in Kanab County. I spied a group of men clustered outside one of the small gas-and-go type places. This was a group of about eight rancher/farmer/hunter types just standing around with their coffees or sodas talking about whatever it is that men talk about in these clusters. In the center of the group, was a damn fine specimen of a man in blue jeans, tan sheriff’s shirt, and a cowboy hat. He was laughing with the others, but his eyes were on the passing traffic. I have never been able to ignore a damn fine specimen of a man. However, I have learned that when you see one in the wild, look only with your eyes and not your hands. Touching leads to AARP issues – Arrest, Arraignment, Restraining orders, and Pointy comments from Mr. Scott because he had to come get me. Again. Thank goodness Arwen didn’t stop the car and my confinement was averted. And thanks to that little drive-by, I now had my hero firmly planted in the back of my empty little brain.

Not too long after the Utah trip, my friend Teresa McCormick announced she had joined the Army Reserves and would be deploying to Afghanistan. Teresa is a former Air Force Security Policeman who was now going to be in an Army MP unit. She LOVES the military. She’s great on the range firing weapons, but at the same time, she’s very much a “girl.” She loves shoes, clothes, dresses, shopping, wine, Skittles, and wears makeup! She even had the audacity to look good deployed! I had the brilliant thought that my female lead character could be a former MP who’s also a cop, and moves to Utah. I could come up with a lot of stuff for that. And I might even let her own a pair of heels and wear makeup as a nod to Teresa. All I needed to do was come up with a story that placed her in front of a smoking hot deputy and surely something good would come of that.

As I researched my location, the people who will populate the fringes of my story have emerged. As it always is with me, the more I read and learn, the more questions I have. I sent off for maps of the area, and emailed and made phone calls to other Rangers that Del knew. More stories have been added to my catalog about Dugway over the last year, and I was pretty close to where I wanted to be.

I know I can create a good book with the elements of Dugway as a character, the old Ranger stories, the deputy who can laugh, but never stops being watchful, and a smart, tough woman who has to look forward not back. But the sticking point has always been that I don’t write straight romance. There has to be an outside factor or threat that brings them together in a certain place at a certain time.

It turns out that I knew what that threat was the entire time.

Question: If you wanted to steal, build, or store a weapon containing a dangerous chemical or nerve agent, where would you do it?

Answer: Wherever there are chemical or nerve agents already.

We’ll have to see if this premise works out, or if the story leads me down a different path.

Stay tuned.

Time to get back to work!!!

By

November is National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org), known affectionately as NaNo to those of us crazy enough to participate. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month and perhaps complete that novel that you’ve always dreamed of. No self-editing, no rewriting, and no worrying about anything but getting the words on the page. I’ve done NaNo for the last three years and have completed it for the last two. Yup! That makes me a freaking winner!!! In 2011, I wrote Saving Emily from start to finish and blogged about the process here. It took several more months to rewrite and edit before Emily was ready for release. Last year, I went for completing the 50K word count and didn’t worry about finishing the book in the time given – it was too large a project for NaNo. Those words were part of The Embassy Guards. Getting all the words down on the page made me a winner.

I have no idea what the hell I’m going to write this year, but I need to decide pretty damn quick.

I have a couple projects in the back of my head, but I’d been taking some time off. My latest unnamed standalone suspense novel turned into a slog (for me) and I’m inclined to set it aside. I did this when I wrote A Shared Fear. I knew I had a good book but it wasn’t flowing, so I let it set and wrote Blood Link III – The Civilian. Focusing on something else took the pressure off me, and when I came back to A Shared Fear, it rolled right out.

With only two weeks to go, I’ll need to choose the project and lay out the novel. I can work blind, but I’ve found it’s better with NaNo to have a clue where I’m going. My list includes a plot outline and rough chapter schedule so I can meet my major plot points.

The other thing I need to do is alter my personal schedule. If I’m pushing the word count then I should warn my friends that I won’t be around as much, pay the bills in advance so I won’t forget, and warn the girl dog that she’ll have to be much more vocal in getting my attention to go out. I’m not telling the cat anything – she’ll use it against me.

Mr. Scott shall have to be forewarned also. He really doesn’t mind NaNo as my distraction often affords him the opportunity to practice his hunting and gathering skills. None of those skills are particularly healthy as he has a tendency to hunt between the closest fast food places and he gathers way too much Taco Bell than is good for us. This being said, I should also spend a little time in the next two weeks cooking a few things that can go in the freezer. And you should all buy stock in bag-o-salad since I sure as hell won’t be spending time making my own.

Oh!!! And names for my characters – yeah – I definitely need names. Something short and quick to type… like Ed or Sue…

No Drums Beating Here

By

I’ve been following several authors who have been successful in their self-publishing pursuits. We can tell how successful by their placement on the sales list. You’re moving a lot of books if you’re on the Top 100 at Amazon. Several of these authors talk about the value of self-promotion. Most say that an author needs to spend at least twenty percent of their time promoting their work. Requesting reviews, blogging, chatting, and interfacing with anyone who will talk about them in any way so their name is out there. They are quick to point out that not just the books, but you as the author, are the product. And you better be able to pimp the product.

But how do I do that? That’s contrary to how I was raised and how I’ve spent my life. My parents taught me not to talk about my accomplishments. No one likes a braggart. I can tell you who I am and what I did, but I can’t tell you how freaking wonderfully I did it. That’s never been part of my skill set. An NCO’s job is to do what’s right for his troops – not for personal gain. The mantra for those of us who are true believers has always been “take care of the troops and the mission will take care of itself.” I’m not sure that I can change a lifetime of saying “It’s not about me” in order to sell a few books.

Don’t ask me to tell you that I’m good at something. I can’t. I can talk about how great everyone else is. I can tell you that E.P. Brown continued to give his brothers in arms 110% even though his commander made it his personal mission to treat him like crap. That Kevin “Gunny” Collins didn’t just show up even as his body began to argue with him at every turn, he pushed on and continued to lead from the front, ignoring the pain because he’d made a commitment to do so. And that, even though we gave him zero guidelines in competing for Instructor of the Quarter, Steven Jones-Johnson set the standard when he gave the finest program presentation that I have ever seen in my life. In retrospect, I realize that it wasn’t in their DNA to do anything less than they were capable of. They were all simply incredible NCOs who I’ve never forgotten. I’m thrilled to tell you about those NCOs, but I’ll avoid telling you what my role was. It was never about what I did – it was about what they did.

So, where does this leave me in the world of selling my books? My books are personal. There’s a good chunk of me in every one. I can tell you what I do by writing about why I do it, and even addressing some of the questions about the process. But I can’t tell you that I’m freaking fantabulous at what I do. In fact, I’m so uncomfortable with the whole process of promoting that when someone tells me they’re buying one of my books, I have to suppress the urge to lower their expectations. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable when people talk nice about me. I want to warn them that I’m not a bad writer, but I’m not God’s gift to word craft. I’ve learned to just shut up and pray they won’t think I’m an idiot.

I’m incapable of spin. I once knew someone who proudly proclaimed on her website that she was a bestselling author. I was totally impressed until I realized that she was one of only three authors at a small start-up publisher and she was selling 20 books a month, which was 5 more than each of the other authors. She wasn’t lying. She was the best seller for that publisher, but I felt like she was cheating me as a consumer. I publish under my friend Dean’s business banner. He’s the brilliant guy who does all my covers and handles the pain-in-the-ass process of getting my books out there. I’m his bestselling author. But, I’m also his only author. However, at under 30 books a month, I’m pretty realistic about what that means. I’m in the lower 2 million of Amazon’s top seller’s lists. I’m incapable of spinning bullshit into fairy tales so you’ll never see those words in a sales pitch unless I make it onto Amazon’s Top 100. Hell – the words sales pitch brings on the cold sweats and a slightly light-headed feeling.

I can post the news that I have a good review and thank the person who wrote it, but I can’t help worrying that my friends will think I’m acting like a braggart. But apparently that’s what I’m supposed to be if I’m going to be in this business.

Truth: I have no fear of getting up in front of 200 genealogists or historians and talking about military records. If you want to know how to figure out what all that stuff is in your ancestor’s compiled service record, unit history, adjutant general’s reports, Civil War Pension files, and court martial records, I’m your gal. I am also capable of speaking for well over an hour about the historic economic factors that most affected your ancestor’s migrations and help you apply that information to your research.

But none of those things are about me. I’ve been speaking publicly for over thirty years, and I still don’t know where to look or what to do when I’m being introduced and the emcee says nice things. My urge is to tell the audience not to get too excited – it’s just me. I’m no different than they are. I’m simply a well organized genealogist who’s unafraid of public speaking. Although, I do admit that every time I think I’m ready for a speaking engagement, I remember Jones-Johnson’s presentation, and I go back through my notes, check my facts again, and I practice one more time. I’d like to be half as good as he was that day.

It’s kind of the same thing with the books. I’m just a reader who is able to share a story. As strange as it sounds coming from a person writing about themselves on their own website, I’m simply incapable of screaming “Look at me! Look at me!” I’m not even really comfortable linking this blog to my Facebook page. That makes me feel like I’m imposing my work on my friends. Too bad I can’t summon one of my many other personalities to be the writer, then I could sing her praises instead of my own.

Those big selling authors have told me that my sales will never take off if I don’t work at this part of the process. That I’m losing sales now and the longer I wait – the less money I’ll make.

Well, folks… I wasn’t making any money when I got into this. And I’m sure as hell not making any money now. But I don’t recall starting this to make money. I just wanted to write what I wanted to write and have a book and a cover that I could be proud of. My ten faithful readers haven’t complained, and I haven’t hurt anyone that I can think of.

Would I like to sell more? Hell, yes! I’d love to be discovered and pick up some coin.

But am I likely to change who I am to do it? Hell, no!

So, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be right here, writing instead of pimping.

Dumping the Garbage

By

“Sometimes, it all becomes too complicated and too hard. Sometimes, I begin to believe that I don’t have the brains, background, or the skill, to write the novel I want. Sometimes, I just have to step away from the damn project and admit that I can’t do it.

I’m not normally that person. Call it stubborn pride or just call it stupidity, but I usually put my head down and start researching while I push and shove my way through the information until I feel I can write about the subject without sounding like an idiot. I don’t have to be the expert. I don’t have to know the subject like the back of my hand. But, I have to have a freaking clue about what I’m writing.

But, today, I have no clue. Today, I feel like I’m in over my head and I’m freaking lost. The storyline I saw so clearly is just not working. Not because this isn’t a great story. It is. Not because I’m incapable of telling a good story. I can. And not because this couldn’t be a great book. It could.

But, I can’t seem to figure out how to get there from here. Every time I think I have the story hammered down, I don’t. Every time I think I know what I’m doing, I don’t. And for every day I write, I’m spending two days tearing it up and rewriting. The police investigation in the book doesn’t work. Put simply, there are too f***ing many laws, rules, procedures, and pain in the ass reality checks to deal with. I don’t know how the cops put up with the bullshit!”

That’s the blog I started early this morning. Actually, I wrote much more than this in what turned into a massive pity part that went on for several more paragraphs as I poured out my anger, frustration, and self-doubt. At the end of this horribly diatribe, I wrote, “I don’t want sympathy, suggestions, or to start a damn support group. My hope is that by saying all of this, I will get it out of my system and much like an irresponsible dog owner on a walk with Fido, I can leave the hot, stinking pile of crap on the side of the road while I just move the hell on.”

I spent a good part of today in a lousy mood, and I’ve seriously considered hitting the delete button on the manuscript several times. Then, it hit me. I wasn’t writing my type of book. I’ve always stretched my limits and learned new things, but my books are action/adventure/suspense involving a strong woman with a military career or background along with a decently hot romantic element. I DO NOT write police procedurals, and while I have a male character’s viewpoint, my stories are not generally from the primary viewpoint of the man. I had also split the story with the romance in one place and the police procedural in the other. This weakened the novel and split my focus. In small words – IT DIDN’T WORK!

My original premise for this book remains excellent. However, I have to alter the focus and dump the police procedural that is not occurring in the primary location. I have to go back to the guts of the story.

So tomorrow morning after walking the pooches and brewing a large pot of coffee, I will sit down and begin the task of blowing this up. I’ll be lucky to salvage 5,000 to 7,500 words out of the 35,000 that I have, but they’ll be the right ones. They will be the ones that set the tone and pace of the book and put me back on my path. The rest will go into a folder that I keep for things I’ve written but can’t currently use.

I’m suddenly feeling pretty good about this again.

The Embassy Guards Now Available

By

I’m very proud to announce my newest release. I hope you all enjoy it.

The Embassy Guards by Lynne Scott.

The_Embassy_Guards_Cover_for_Kindle

When Marine Sergeant C.J. MacLean reports for duty at the embassy armory, she finds herself in an unusual position and quickly figures out that the small group of Marines she’s to work with isn’t really assigned to the embassy. Master Gunnery Sergeant Nate Jackson already has his hands full when C.J. arrives. The embassy’s new arrogant and demanding major has discovered the unit’s existence and could blow the team’s cover because he believes that Nate’s special operations team belongs to him.

Then, a group of Pakistani terrorists attacks an embassy dinner, and only C.J. and Nate’s actions save the ambassador and a wealthy American weapons manufacturer. Caught on camera while taking out two terrorists, C.J. becomes the target of the surviving cell members. Now Nate and his team are dodging the major, on the trail of the terrorists, and trying to keep C.J. safe, but there’s just one big problem: C.J.’s a Marine. She keeps running to the guns.

Editor: Marcia Lindley
Cover Design: Liquid Reality Studios
102,736 Words

Available from Amazon through the link on the right side of the page.
Also available in paperback at CreateSpace and Amazon.
Available from Barnes and Noble for the Nook.

The Freaking Process – Picking a Hero

By

Question: Why do I use so many Marines?
Answer: I could come up with several extremely rude and crude comments about this question, but I won’t.

The simple answer is that I’m lazy.  When I say “Marine” most people have an immediate image that comes to their mind – that recruiting poster of the incredibly attractive Marine in his dress blues with his sword and the slogan, “The Few.  The Proud.  The Marines.”.  Based solely on the great advertising by the Marines, you know who my character is and what he stands for.  All I have to do is give you his name, rank, and physical description and you alter the poster to suit.

One of my beta readers told me that I look at Marines through rose-colored glasses.  He works around Marines all the time and feels that most of them really aren’t all that cool.  I get that.  All Marines are not honorable people who always do the right thing.  All members of the military are not responsible men with common sense.  All Air Force guys aren’t smarter than the men in the Army.  (Having spent a lot of years in the Air Force, I can tell you that many of them aren’t any smarter than the damn boots they’re trying to put on.)  But the same is true of any group of people.  All cops and fireman aren’t nice guys and heroes.  All teachers aren’t selfless. And all cowboys don’t have cute butts.

One of my jobs as an author is to create a hero/heroine who has the potential to overcome the conflicts in my story.  I have to pick someone who provides credibility to the story.  If I want to send a small force of well-trained men in to a dangerous situation where they need to have tactical and weapons skills, then I can’t send a bunch of dweebs from accounting and finance to do the job.  I can send one person, who gets caught up in the middle of a mess, but without the trained fighters, he’s going to get greased pretty quick.

I’m not opposed to using the other services.  I have a particular fondness for Rangers and military police from all branches, but I have a tendency to avoid the Green Berets and SEALS as primaries.  As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t know enough of them to ask for help in getting the details right.  And I don’t use the Navy much because even they don’t understand their own organizational charts.

I use the military police because I have a fair-sized group of military cops who I can call upon for tactical help and guidance.  How do you clear a room?  How does a small tactical team approach a building?  What the hell do you actually call that thinga-ma-bob hanging from his gear in the center of his chest in this picture?  Once they’re done screwing with me, they always step up and help.  And when I get it wrong, they don’t hesitate to throw the bullshit flag on a regular basis.  That’s what they’re there for.

Why not the Air Force?  Well… short of a few career fields that go do really interesting and exciting things, most Air Force personnel are not generally in a position to get in the kind of trouble my folks seem to get into.  And, with the exception of those few career fields, airmen also aren’t trained for trouble.  All Air Force personnel have weapons qualification training once a year, and for many of them, that’s the only time they ever handle a weapon.  Most of them barely remember year to year to keep the muzzle pointed away from other people.  While many of these folks are cool and interesting people, just how is my avionics technician supposed to get caught up in something dangerous and, once in it, why would anyone believe that he has the necessary combat skills to get out of it.  Not that a detail like that stopped Tom Clancy for credibly using an Air Force weather nerd in Red Storm Rising.  But, realistically, the average Air Force back shop technician would be nothing more than “in the way” to those who would have to protect him in the field.

Marines are just easier. And, I mean that in the nicest possible way.